The dark, it was the dark- acute and mind numbing, Gammit thought to himself. His thoughts had begun to wander after only an hour in the deep shadow of Mt. Coronet, all around him dripping wet sounds were hitting the ground with aggravated intensity. Isin was injured otherwise he could use flash, but it was just as well, Gammit reasoned, he'd rather not give away his position if something in relation to that… thing was in here.
He tried not to shiver.
Gammit's eyes scraped the dark cavern for familiar figures in the path, as he'd walked it so many times before, but they found no purchase. It seemed like an empty chasm of shade only to be followed by phantom shapes that would waver in the distance. Oddly, all the stalactites had begun to look like fangs.
He really tried not to shiver.
It was another hour before Gammit's legs began to feel weak. His pace had slowed to a halt and he took a good look around himself again.
The cave still looked the same on all sides, but something was different. This thought registered as a rock hit the ground, falling from the cave's roof over head and the sound of shuffling filled his ears.
Gammit was in a full sprint before he was aware of himself, legs throwing all the force they could into miraculous leaps, but the shuffling maintained a slow monotonous pace- it was following him. He ran, unable to see, unable to stop and- SLAM! His body hit the floor, dazed while blood trickled from a nose he was sure was broken, but he couldn't feel it.
The roof of the cave was slightly alight; the rock wall he had hit had small cracks near the ceiling to allow what dim light from the outside that could, enter. A pale figure hung near these lights, no eyes watched Gammit, though he was certain that what this was saw him. Its tail spread across the craggy surface of the cave's ceiling and it hung there with little motion. The figure was coated in white skin with an open orifice for a mouth that sported teeth as far down the throat as Gammit dared look. From its mouth some corrosive liquid dripped and burned holes in the rock below.
Gammit's nose began to hurt; it was all he could do not to scream in pain. His vision became blurry and he slowly moved away from the figure hanging above him. As if on cue it bounded from its perch and onto the ground with a guttural wail.
Gammit noticed it making a sniffing motion in the air and then turning its 'gaze' to him.
Then it screamed.
The sound was in-human, unlike anything Gammit had ever heard. One of his ears began to bleed and all sound ceased processing in it. He fell to the floor again and grabbed his head as the creature's bellow carried off of the walls and what seemed to be directly into his mind. He scrambled blindly against the wall and attempted to get away from the beast, but its pursuit was steady and sluggish.
Gammit reached down at his belt, wildly choosing a ball and hurling it out at the wall where the familiar crack and hiss of a Pokemon coming in to play resounded. Then the creature pursuing stopped for a moment, long enough for Gammit to get his bearings. The Pokemon he drew was his Magmar, Liam.
For a Magmar Liam was tough, his body was unnaturally bulky- an excessively heavy build that challenged his evolution for size. He was powerful with lava rippling violently off of his form and his eyes locked in eternal anger towards anything that threatened his supremacy.
Liam took a brave step forward and the monster shuddered, static filling the air. The beast's mouth filled with lightning and it slammed its neck down on the ground with a shower of rocks. Liam took a step to the side, strafing the shot and responded by increasing his heat- Overheat. Liam's foot then scraped the air as he rushed forward and dropped an axe kick coated by pure white fire onto the beasts head.
The creature moaned and stumbled back, a deep black and red scar along its face. Its breath kicked out static and its body puffed out with ferocity. Suddenly electricity coated the creature's form and it lunged.
The lightning reached forward and grabbed Liam like tentacles, an explosion following contact that threw the Magmar into the wall with incredible force. The beast snarled its approval and lunged its elastic head forward. Gammit saw the strike and rolled just in time to avoid the blow. Liam wasn't as lucky.
The Magmar's body was crushed deep into the wall, teeth cutting wounds into the Pokemon's form. Lava seeped from the wounds, burning the beast. The creature, however, seemed not to notice and wrapped Liam in its mouth. Then it jerked back, throwing Liam roughly twenty feet into a stalagmite. Shrapnel of rock flew everywhere with the impact, the bright body of Liam laid still in a pile of rubble.
The creature's breath crackled with enthusiasm as it sniffed the air again, suddenly shifting its position to look at a different angle.
A man stood behind it, a blade sat in his hand- larger than anything a person should be able to hold. His body was coated in plates of heavy steel and rubbery flesh that seemed to impose some form of intimidation to the beast. His eyes set with a calm demeanor and he walked forward with no worry.
The creature responded with another round of lightning. The explosion rolled forward but the man rolled around it and threw and uppercut with the sword, momentum carrying him. The blade made purchase and drew a gash into the monsters jaw, slicing it open- but then the hit was followed by an eruption of flame! Gammit's eyes were wide; he just used fire on it without a Pokemon!
Not wasting any time, Gammit ran to Liam's side and saw his Pokemon's condition. He tossed his backpack down and scrounged desperately for something to aid his friend. A single potion was the result. He applied it to the best of his knowledge and Liam groaned back to his feet with several major wounds still visible.
The man never let up, his blade crashed into the beast's thigh and Gammit witnessed his muscles for the first time. The person swinging the blade was built like a tank, no fear, no limits, and pure strength. He grunted and reset his blade as the monster crashed to the ground with a wail. The man tucked the blade back and seemed to pull all of his focus into it. Suddenly, the blade erupted into several colors of light- every second growing brighter! Violently the earth shook as the creature's head slid from its neck, gore covering the ground where it had been moments ago.
Gammit stood in awe, Liam standing next to him in shocked silence. The man drew a knife and cut off choice pieces of the beast before turning his attention to Gammit and Liam.
His eyes grew wide and he brought his blade forward, "Watch it! Monster!" He yelled.
Gammit ducked and looked around, all that was there was Liam. "Wh-where!" He responded.
The man approached slowly looking at Gammit cautiously. "Right there, the lava creature." He said his voice deep and full of bass.
Gammit looked at him with questioning eyes and then turned slowly to face Liam, pointing. "Him? He's not a monster, he's my friend."
The man looked wary but put away his blade without argument, coming within reach of Gammit. "Your friend?"
Gammit nodded, rubbing his downed ear and feeling his nose set back into a steady throbbing pain that the adrenaline had suppressed. "Yeah, he helps me fight. I teach him how to use his abilities to their best." He said, and then stopped. "Who are you? What was that? Why can your sword spit fire?" Gammit suddenly shouted, grabbing at his ear.
The man handed Gammit a greenish substance in a jar, "Drink that and I'll answer your questions." Gammit looked at him with a bit of caution but drank the liquid down.
His body suddenly just felt… better! He could hear again! His nose stopped bleeding even though it wasn't fixed and the pain dulled to a tolerable level. He breathed out a sigh of relief and the man smiled at him sitting on the downed stalagmite. "I'm a hunter." He started, "I hunt things like the creature you saw to keep people safe. My sword is made from a powerful fire wyvern, that's why it spits fire and the creature you just saw was called a Khezu." He leaned forward in the light of Liam's luminescence and asked, "Now, answer me. Who are you?" He pointed at Gammit. "What is that?" He pointed at Liam. "And where am I?" He asked, looking around himself.
Suddenly, the world felt very small- something was wrong, very very wrong. Gammit looked at the man, totally out of his element, lost and confused but sure of himself. What was Gammit? Frightened, confused, and injured. Maybe they could help each other…
Gammit coughed and the man's attention turned back to the boy on the ground. Gammit looked up and offered his hand, "I'm Gammit, Pokemon Trainer, and I think we have a problem."